Pneumatic railway-switch.



G. GHAPPBLLE.

PNEUMATIG RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLIOATION FILED. MAY-9, 1912.

' Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

4HE MORRIS PETERS CUWPHOTC-LITHD.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

G. GHAPPELLE.

PNEUMATIG RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLIUATION FILED MAY e, 1912.

1,1 30.477. Patented Mar. 2, 1915 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

*HE NURRIS PETERS CO4. PHD7DL-ITHO., WASHINGTON, D. C4

ENTE@ STAT PATNT FFQE.

CHARLES CHAPPELLE, OF OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA, ASSIGNOB 0F ONE-'LIALF TODOCTOR JOI-IN HAYDEN, 0F OKLAHOMA, OKLAHOMA.

PNEUMTIC RAILWAY-SW'ITCI-I.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES CHAPPEILE, acitizen of the United States, residing at Oklahoma city, in the countyof Oklahoma and State of Oklahoma, have invented certainY new and usefulPneumatic Railway- Switches, of which the following is a specifcation,reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has reference to the art of railways, and moreparticularly to the art of railway switches.

An object of the invention is to provide improved means whereby thetongue of a switch may be shifted from one position to the other bysuitable operating means carried by or operating in conjunction withsome portion of a car or train.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in theensuing description.

' Referring to the accompanying drawings,

which show one embodiment of the invention in practical form z-Figure 1is a plan view of ,a portion of railway, in connection with which theinvention is shown in use. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view, partly insection, of parts shown in'Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of arailway track and the trucks of a car, showing the invention in use inconnection therewith. Fig. 4 is a sectional View of a certain cylinderand its piston, in the same direction as Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectionalview taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3, but showing no parts in the rearof the line A-A. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a bracket forsupporting certain tripping means-carried Vby the car-trucks. Fig. 7 isa perspective view, in different direction, showing a tripping-arm. Fig.8 is a sectional View of a check-valve.

Like characters of reference designate like parts throughout all thegures of drawings.

Suitably positioned on the outer sides of the track-rails 9 and 10 arecylinders 1l and 12, respectively, which are supported by brackets 13secured by bolts 14 to the webs 15 of said rails.

Within each of the cylinders 11 and 12 is 'a piston 16, which is madehollow to allow room for a tension spring 17. This spring 17 has one ofits ends attached to the front or closed end of the piston 16 by aneyebolt 18, and its other end to the rear end of the cylinder by asimilar eye-bolt 19, and said spring yieldably holds said piston to therear or normal end of its throw in said driven forward by a suitableprojection from a car or train and thenrevolve to avoid further forwardmovement by said projection. 1n further arrangement, cylinders 23 and 24are located in juxtaposition to the switch, the cylinder 23 beingconnected with the cylinder 11 by a pipe-line 25 and the cylinder 24with the cylinder 12 by a similar pipe-line 26. The cylinder 23 isprovided with a piston 27 and the cylinder 24 with a piston 28, thestems 29 and 30, respectively, of these pistons passing through theguard-rails 31 and 32 in position to have their ends 35 and 36 actagainst opposite sides of the switch-tongue 37. vTo hold the pistons 27and 28 at the normal or initial ends of their cylinders, the stem ofeach piston is embraced by a compression helical spring 38 which isinterposed between said piston and the opposite end of said cyliner. Y

Each of the pipe-lines 25 and 26 is provided with a check-valve 39 tocheck the back How of air from the cylinders 23 and 24 to thecylinders11 andv 12, each checkvalve having a hinged gate 40 adapted to closeagainst a seat 41, as shown in Fig. 8. The gate 40 is provided with avery small opening 42, through which the air which is placed undercompression between the check-valves 39 and the cylinders 23 and 24 mayslowly leak to relieve the compression.

In operation, the piston 16 of one of the cylinders, say the cylinder11, is driven forward by a suitable projection' on the car orcar-trucks, thereby setting up pressure Vof the air in thev pipe-line 25and against the piston 27 in the cylinder A23. Since the pipelines 25and 26 must be small in order to avoid excessive range of expansion ofthe contained air, the compression between the piston 16 of the cylinder11 and the piston 27 of the cylinder 23 may not instantly equalize; sothat when said piston 16 is moved by a car at high speed it mayinstantly set up high pressure and as quickly release it by return tonormal position, leaving the piston 2'? and switch-tongue 39 unmoved oronly partly moved. But the check-valve 39 traps the air undercompression in the pipe-line 25 and cylinder 23 and allows saidcompression to release only by leakage of air through the small opening42 aforesaid, thus allowing the compression to move the piston 27 andswitch-tongue 37 their full throw.

1n arranging the vehicle portion of the apparatus, a suitabletripping-arm 43 1s pivoted between brackets 44 depending from the Jtrameof the car-trucks, these brackets having holes 45 in which the shaft 46of said tripping-arm is journaled. The hub portion of the tripping-arm43 1s provided with a stop 47 which plays 1n an arc-shaped recess 48 inone of the brackets 44 and is adapted to abut either end of said recessto limit the movement of said tripping-arm. For operating thetripping-arm 43, its shaft 46 is provided with a gear-pinion 49 whichreceives motion from gear-teeth on the lower end of a piston-rod 50 of apiston 51. The piston 51 is contained within a cylinder 52, which isbolted to the frame of the carv trucks, and said piston may be moved bycompressed air from the train-pipe of the car or train in order to swingthe trippingarm 43 into or out of tripping position.

Having thus described this invention, 1 claim:

1. A pneumatically operable railway switch, consisting of a switchlocated at the intersection of railway lines, of a switch tongueassociated with said switch and adapted to be urged to normal positionswith respect to each line, cylinders located in juxtaposition with saidswitch, pistons operable in said cylinders and adapted to operateagainst the tongue alternately, cylinders located remotely from the rstnamed cylinders, pistons operable therein for creating air pressure,means Jfor operating said last named pistons, means for positioning saidpistons normally, and an air line communicating with each set ofcylinders.

2. A. pneumatically operable railway switch, consisting of a switchlocated at the intersection of railway lines, of a switchtongueassociated with said switch and adapted to be urged to normal positionswith respect to each line, cylinders located in juxtaposition with saidswitch, springactuated pistons operable in said cylinders and adapted tooperate against said tongue alternately, cylinders located remotely fromthe first named cylinders, spring-actuated pistons operating therein,means carried by incoar? the second named pistons for urging them topressure-creating positions, and an air line communicating with each setof cylinders.

3. A pneumatically operable railway switch, consisting of a switchlocated at the intersection of railway lines, of a switch tongueassociated with said switch and adapted to be urged to normal positionswith respect to each line, cylinders located in juxtaposition with saidswitch, pistons operable in said cylinders and adapted to operateagainst said tongue alternately, cylinders located remotely from theiirst named cylinders, pistons operable therein for creatingair-pressure, means tor operating said last named piston, means forpositioning said pistons normally, an air-line communicating with eachset ot cylinders, and means interposed in the air-line for relievingpressure in the system.

4. A pneumatically operable railway switch, consisting o1 a switchlocated at the intersection of railway lines, of a switchtongueassociated therewith and adapted to be urged to normal positions withrespect to each line, cylinders located in juxtaposition with saidswitch, pistons operable in said cylinders and adapted to operateagainst said tongue alternately, cylinders located remotely from thefirst named cylinders, pistons operable therein for creatingair-pressure, means for operating said last named pistons, means forpositioning said pistons normally, an air-line communicating with eachset of cylinders, and means suitably located, for relieving pressure inthe system.

5. A. pneumatically operable railway switch7 consisting of a switchlocated at the intersection of railway lines, of a switchtongueassociated therewith and adapted to be urged to normal positions withrespect to each line, cylinders located in juxtaposition with saidswitch, spring-actuated pistons operable in said cylinders and adaptedto operate against said tongue alternately, cylinders located remotelyfrom the first named cylinders, spring-actuated pistons operatingtherein, means carried by the second named pistons for urging them topressure-creating positions, an air-line communicating with each set ofcylinders, and a pressure-relieving medium suitably located in thesystem.

6. Apneumaticallyoperablerailwayswitch, consisting of a switch locatedat the intersection of railway lines, of a switch-tongue associated withsaid switch and adapted to be urged to normal positions with respect toeach line, cylinders located in juxtaposition with said switch, pistonsoperable in said cylinders and adapted to operate against the tonguealternately, cylinders located repistons, means for partially revolvingsaid pistons, means for positioning said pistons normally, and anair-line communicating with eachset of cylinders. Y

7. Apneumatically operablerailway switch, consisting of a switch locatedat the intersection of railway lines, of a switch-tongue associated withsaid switch and adapted to be urged to normal positions with respect toeach line, cylinders located in juxtaposition with said switch, pistonsoperable in said cylinders and adapted to operate against the tonguealternately, cylinders located remotely from the rst named cylinders,pistons operable therein for creating air-pressure, means carried by thelast named pistons and by which they may be operated, and which are soassociated with the cylinders as to cause the latter to partially rotateduring a portion of their reciprocation, means for positioning thepistons normally, and an air line communicating with each set ofcylinders.

8. A pneumatically operable railway switch, consisting of a switchlocated at the intersection of railway lines, of a switch-tongueassociated with said switch and adapted to be urged, to normal positionswith respect to each line, cylinders located in juxtaposition with saidswitch, pistons operable in said cylinders and adapted to operateagainst the tongue alternately, cylinders located remotely from the irstnamed cylinders, and which are provided with guides, pistons operabletherein for creating air-pressure, means for operating said last namedpistons,

and adapted to be controlled by said guides for partially turning thepistons, to remove the piston-operating means out of the path of meansto co'perate with the piston operating means, means for positioning saidpistons normally, and an air line communicating with each set ofcylinders.

9. Apneumaticallyoperablerailwayswitch, consisting of a switch locatedat the intersection of railway'lines, of a switch-tongue associated withsaid switch and adapted to be urged to norma-l positions with respect toeach line, cylinders located in juXtaposi-- tion with said switch,pistons operable in said cylinders and adapted to operate against thetongue alternately, cylinders located remotely from the first namedcylinders, and which are provided with guides, pistons operable thereinfor creating air-pressure, means for operating said last named pistons,and adapted to be controlled by said guides for partially turning thepistons, to remove the piston-operating means 'out of the path of meansto coperate with the piston operating means, means for positioning saidpistons normally, an Aair-line communicating with each set of cylinders,and an interposed pressure relieving device.

Signed at Oklahoma city, in the county of Oklahoma and State ofOklahoma, this 25 day of April, 1912.

CHAS. OHAPPELLE.

Witnesses:

Enw. BARNAcLo, Gmo. R. TRUE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

